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Re: Bird press conference

I think they would stand pat. Maybe take a flier on a point guard like Teague or Machado in the draft.

My feeling from listening to Bird's presser is that he thinks we weren't too far off this year, and that with our younger guys continuing to improve (namely, Paul George), we don't necessarily have to make huge upgrades anywhere. If we improve the bench and have a rock solid 8 man rotation we could contend. That's the general feeling I get, anyway.

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Re: Bird press conference

Wait... Boomer makes 1 mil per year?????
How could a guy in a costume, meaning you could replace him at any time with nobody knowing the difference, make that kind of jack? I fully understand it is a physically demanding job but it's not like it's a job many people couldn't do with training and dedication.

Nuntius was right. I was wrong. Frank Vogel has retained his job.

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"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."

Re: Bird press conference

Isn't so much of this bluffs and positioning? If Bird really plans to trade a piece or two, doesn't he want to appear like he loves every player and has no plan for trades—to keep their value up?

I don't really think so; everyone has their opinions on these players already, and unless a GM is just publicly throwing a player under the proverbial bus, what he says in the press isn't likely to change much of anything IMO.

Re: Bird press conference

Am I the only one that heard what Bird said about the salary cap? Everyone on here is saying that Bird is definitely not going after D Will.

At the 6:10 mark in the video when talking about the salary cap Bird says," It's not like you want to spend it all at once, now if that one player comes up and you want to go after him, then yeah, we'll go after him."

That one player to me would be Deron Williams. It doesn't mean we'll get him but it also doesn't mean we won't try.

Good catch and thanks to Hicks for posting the link to the conference.
When I hear it coming from Bird his potential plans sound much more promising. He in no way says that we're only going after bench players.
At one point he says that Herb knows where the teams weaknesses are the same as he does, and we're going to address that.
That also seems to indicate that the pg position will be addressed. My gut still tells me he's going after Deron or Nash and the bench will be better by adding a starter and moving Hill or DC to the bench full time.
Just because Bird brings up the challenges that the team faces like signing our own free agents and existing in a small market, it doesn't mean that he's only going to stand pat and bring in a mediocre bench player in free agency.
After listening to the conference there is know one else that I'd want to run this team. He'll make the right move this summer and I think he'll do it quickly.

Re: Bird press conference

Wait... Boomer makes 1 mil per year?????
How could a guy in a costume, meaning you could replace him at any time with nobody knowing the difference, make that kind of jack? I fully understand it is a physically demanding job but it's not like it's a job many people couldn't do with training and dedication.

Re: Bird press conference

About 80 percent of the NBA teams, including the Orlando Magic, hire full-time employees to play mascots, with the starting annual salary in the $40,000-$45,000 range, Raymond said. About half of the teams in the other major sports leagues hire full-time workers, and half pay their mascots on a per-game basis, with payment in the $100-$200 per-game range, he added.

Re: Bird press conference

I seen on the half time broadcast, this year that boomer does like several hundred appearances throughout the year in addition to the 41 home games. Not that great of a job, when you factor in all the training time he has to put into keep in shape. Then all the random appearances throughout the year, and the game night. He is probably underpaid, or his schedule is such that any additional earning potential is greatly hampered. Nearly impossible to hold a 2nd job with that kind of schedule.

Re: Bird press conference

The folks you spoke to were yankin' your chain. A member of his family has quoted a number to me that was significantly, significantly, significantly lower. Hopefully the overuse of the word "significantly" might provide you with an idea of just how much 1M overstates the salary.

The people "yanking my chain" were people high enough on the food chain to know though, and they had no motive to lie to me (or so I thought). And I was definitely told that, I still remember it because I was surprised to hear it. Weird. Sorry about that.

Luckily it meant almost nothing in the point I was trying to make, which was that just because Foster couldn't play the whole season doesn't mean he wasn't bringing value to the team in other ways.

Re: Bird press conference

I seen on the half time broadcast, this year that boomer does like several hundred appearances throughout the year in addition to the 41 home games. Not that great of a job, when you factor in all the training time he has to put into keep in shape. Then all the random appearances throughout the year, and the game night. He is probably underpaid, or his schedule is such that any additional earning potential is greatly hampered. Nearly impossible to hold a 2nd job with that kind of schedule.

Why would you need a second job when you are making a mil a year? Who wouldn't work 16 hours a day for that?(at least for a few years)

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Re: Bird press conference

Regardless of whether the Pacers were under the cap or right at the minimum payment line the money paid Foster wasn't printed at Kinkos. Herb Simon had to get those funds from somewhere.

The number that matters in this debate is the number we don't know- Herb's budget for player salaries. Just because the Pacers technically could've spent more if they'd wanted to under CBA rules doesn't mean they would when looking at their own bottom line.

My point being- You can debate whether or not he was worth his salary or worth the gamble on one hand, but you can't justify it on the other hand by saying we had more cap space anyway. ...Because we're talking real money and not Monopoly money.

Nuntius was right. I was wrong. Frank Vogel has retained his job.

------

"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."

Re: Bird press conference

Regardless of whether the Pacers were under the cap or right at the minimum payment line the money paid Foster wasn't printed at Kinkos. Herb Simon had to get those funds from somewhere.

The number that matters in this debate is the number we don't know- Herb's budget for player salaries. Just because the Pacers technically could've spent more if they'd wanted to under CBA rules doesn't mean they would when looking at their own bottom line.

My point being- You can debate whether or not he was worth his salary or worth the gamble on one hand, but you can't justify it on the other hand by saying we had more cap space anyway. ...Because we're talking real money and not Monopoly money.

Simon said during the off season that he's willing to spend up to the tax line.

Re: Bird press conference

I think they would stand pat. Maybe take a flier on a point guard like Teague or Machado in the draft.

My feeling from listening to Bird's presser is that he thinks we weren't too far off this year, and that with our younger guys continuing to improve (namely, Paul George), we don't necessarily have to make huge upgrades anywhere. If we improve the bench and have a rock solid 8 man rotation we could contend. That's the general feeling I get, anyway.

agree he has flaws but to me they are easily correctable. His only going left is one I think he can fix if he fixes it his game will really take off at the next level. Sneaky good athlete (when in shape like his senior year) and IMO will be a good defender he is only 6"1 but he plays bigger has a nice wingspan. Watching his growth from junior year to senior year was incredible he showed he has work ethic and playing for Brazil really lite a fire under him. I just hope he looks bad in workouts and people in the FO are as high on him as I am. He IMO is just what we need.

Re: Bird press conference

I think they would stand pat. Maybe take a flier on a point guard like Teague or Machado in the draft.

My feeling from listening to Bird's presser is that he thinks we weren't too far off this year, and that with our younger guys continuing to improve (namely, Paul George), we don't necessarily have to make huge upgrades anywhere. If we improve the bench and have a rock solid 8 man rotation we could contend. That's the general feeling I get, anyway.

That was my feeling as well. But I don't think we were nearly as close as Bird appeared to. Yes, we won a series. But it took a bunch of injuries to high profile guys for that to happen. We semi-threatened the Heat after they lost Bosh but as soon as they figured out how to deal with that, and frankly take us remotely seriously, they took us to the woodshed.

I don't see the huge leap coming from Paul George that most do and that Bird has put his chips on.

I think Roy Hibbert will get better but not enough to be a true franchise player. He's probably near his peak right now.

Danny Granger has been steadily regressing for three seasons. I don't see any reason to expect him to improve.

David West is exactly the type of leader we've needed but he's unquestionably on the downside of his career. I think he'll be better next year simply because of further healing in his knees but not enough to push us over the top.

George Hill is a good combo guard but if you're starting him, you're not a real contender.

Darren Collison is an okay combo guard in a point guard's body.

You all know how I feel about Tyler Hansbrough.

Bird still seems to be in love with Lance Stephenson, which is frightening for a few reasons in my opinion. Sure the off court risks are there but outside of that I don't see at all the talent that Bird says he sees. I still think he's just ****ing with us on that but the joke has gotten tiresome.

If that is the 8-man core that we need to keep growing, we've got a second round ceiling. It's going to take a big move. It may even take a few big moves. But I know that sitting tight isn't the way to go. I think Bird knows that too. I always take everything he says in press conferences with a truckload of salt simply because I know his personality. I think he'll swing for the fences. We may strike out, but I'd rather give it the chance to get over the wall rather than being content with a bloop single. I assume Bird feels the same way.

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Re: Bird press conference

Kravitz: Larry Bird will ask Herb Simon to raise Pacers' payroll

This much we know: Hibbert and Hill, the two restricted free agents, are coming back. Unless somebody makes Hibbert an insane offer of more than $14 million per season, the Pacers will match and can give him a five-year deal when others can only offer four. Same with Hill, at lesser numbers.

The rest of the nucleus is set.

If there are going to be moves, they figure to be moves that don't warrant big headlines. Williams isn't coming. Steve Nash is a long shot, especially given his age and defensive deficiencies.

Expect more trades, like the one-sided deals that brought Leandro Barbosa to town. Expect some smaller free agent acquisitions, unless something spectacular crosses Bird's desk and turns into a sign-and-trade.

Bird's biggest focus will be the bench.

The good news is, the Pacers are finally embarking on a summer when the calling cry is something other than "blow it up and start over again." They're starting to build something special here, with a terrific young coach in Frank Vogel and some promising young players who can't help but get better.

The question is how Bird and the Pacers will take that next big step so they'll still be playing basketball in June.

Re: Bird press conference

I was told by someone who would know how much Boomer makes and it is no where near $1M. It is on a per game basis and then he gets extra to go to schools, birthday parties, league functions..........in a really really busy year he might make close to $100,000. probably averages around $70K most years.